Jerusalem: Mojtaba Khamenei, the second son of Iran’s late leader Ali Khamenei, has been selected as the country’s new supreme leader, according to reports carried by Iranian state media.
The appointment follows the death of Ali Khamenei, who was reportedly killed on the first day of the conflict launched by the United States and Israel against Iran. The strike on his compound in Tehran also killed the elder Khamenei’s wife, mother, and one of his daughters.
Mojtaba Khamenei was not present at the site at the time and survived the attack despite the ongoing heavy bombardment across the country. Iran’s Assembly of Experts, the 88-member clerical body responsible for selecting the country’s supreme leader, announced that Khamenei had been chosen through what it described as a ‘decisive vote.’
The statement urged citizens, particularly ‘the elites and intellectuals of seminaries and universities,’ to pledge alliance for Mojtaba Khamenei and maintain unity during the current crisis.
Influence within Iran’s power structure
The 56-year-old cleric has never run for elected office or been subject to a public vote, but for decades, he has remained a powerful figure within the inner circle of the former supreme leader. Over the years, he cultivated close ties with the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a key force within Iran’s military and political system.
In recent years, Mojtaba Khamenei has increasingly been viewed as a leading candidate to succeed his father, who served nearly eight years as Iran’s president before holding the country’s highest leadership position for 36 years. Ali Khamenei was reportedly killed in an attack on his compound in Tehran on February 28.
Observers say the younger Khamenei’s appointment signals that hardline factions within Iran’s ruling establishment remain firmly in control. The move could also indicate that the leadership has little interest in pursuing negotiations or diplomatic agreements in the near term.
Mojtaba Khamenei has rarely addressed the topic of succession publicly, as the issue remains highly sensitive. The cleric’s rise to the top position could effectively establish a dynastic leadership system, drawing comparisons to the monarchy that ruled Iran before the Iranian Revolution.
Despite his influence behind the scenes, Mojtaba Khamenei has largely maintained a low public profile. He seldom delivers public speeches, Friday sermons, or political addresses, and many Iranians have never heard his voice despite his long-standing influence within the country’s theocratic establishment.
Accusations over protest crackdowns
For nearly two decades, critics inside and outside Iran have linked Mojtaba Khamenei to the violent suppression of protests. Reformist figures accused him of influencing the controversial 2009 presidential election that returned Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to power. The election triggered the Green Movement, which led to mass demonstrations and a harsh crackdown on reformist leaders and supporters.
Units linked to the establishment, particularly the Basij forces connected to the IRGC, have been involved in suppressing several waves of nationwide protests since then. International organisations such as the United Nations and global human rights groups say thousands of people were killed during recent unrest, especially during violent clashes on the nights of January 8 and 9.
Iranian authorities and the late supreme leader rejected those claims, instead blaming ‘terrorists’ and ‘rioters’ allegedly supported and funded by the United States and Israel for the violence.
Mojtaba Khamenei also developed strong ties with the IRGC during his youth. He served in the Habib Battalion during the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s, taking part in several operations. Some of his fellow fighters later rose to senior roles in the country’s intelligence and security institutions.
The cleric is currently under sanctions imposed by the United States and Western governments. Reports by international media have also linked him to a vast economic network involving assets in several countries. Although his name does not appear directly in many transactions, reports claim that billions of dollars have been transferred through associates and insiders connected to Iran’s ruling establishment.
Questions have also been raised about Mojtaba Khamenei’s religious standing. He holds the clerical rank of hojatoleslam, considered a mid-level rank rather than the higher status of ayatollah traditionally associated with Iran’s supreme leadership.
However, his father was not an ayatollah when he assumed the leadership in 1989. At that time, the law was amended to allow him to take the position, meaning a similar legal adjustment could potentially be made again.
For now, it remains unclear when or how Iran will formally proceed with announcing further leadership arrangements. The country has imposed a nationwide internet blackout and restrictions on information flows while the United States and Israel continue an intense bombing campaign across Iran.
ALSO READ | Floods hit NT; Residents warned of crocodiles in waters
